Pain de Mie–Sandwich Bread at its Finest! The French Have it Covered!

Pain de Mie is a delicious, fine-grained loaf of flavorful, dense crumb bread–perfect for sandwiches and toast — including French toast! This is no wimpy bread! It can hold its own against any topping or filling—will not tear when you butter it or fall apart when you try to eat your sandwich!

I make one or two loaves a week for my family and if I buy store bought bread, they tell me the flavors are odd and the texture is “pumped with air.” Not to mention, only pure ingredients are added when “made at home.” No high-fructose corn syrup or hydrogenated oils. Only natural goodness–my family is worth the little bit of extra effort.

Please don’t be intimidated by the length of the recipe; I’ve added three different mixing versions for you to choose from. I use my bread machine for mixing and first rise and then finish in the Pain de Mie. I make this so often, I know the recipe by heart. The cost to make this delicious, healthy bread is about $2 per loaf. In my neck of the woods bread, half the size with half the flavor, cost closer to $5.

Pan de Mie aka Pullman Pan

Google the pan and look for Pain de Mie or Pullman pans. I bought both of mine (I have a 2 different sizes) from ebay and the quality of USA-made, heavy-gauged steel will last forever. Mine are still going strong after 4 years of rigorous, weekly use. Once you try this and see how easy it is to make and how wonderful it tastes, you won’t look back! Pain de Mie makes every sandwich taste so much better as well! It’s a “win-win” no matter how you look at it!

Manual Method: In a large bowl, combine milk, water, butter, salt and sugar. Add dried milk, flours and yeast, stirring till the dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased surface, oil your hands, and knead it for 5 to 8 minutes, or until it’s smooth and supple. Because of the relatively high fat content of this dough, it’s a real pleasure to work with. Transfer dough to a lightly greased bowl or dough-rising bucket, cover bowl and allow dough to rise till puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.

Mixer Method: Combine ingredients as above, using a flat beater paddle or beaters, then switch to dough hook(s) and knead for 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover bowl or bucket, and allow dough to rise till doubled in bulk, 1 to 2 hours.

Bread Machine Method: Place all of ingredients into the pan of your machine, program the machine for Manual or Dough, and press Start. When cycle is finished, remove dough and proceed as follows.

Lightly grease a 13 x 4-inch pain de mie pan. Transfer the risen dough to a lightly greased work surface, shape it into a 13-inch log, and fit it into the pan. Cover pan with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow dough to rise until it’s just below the lip of the pan, 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the warmth of your kitchen (it may rise even more slowly in a cool kitchen; don’t worry, this long rise will give it great flavor).

Remove plastic, and carefully place cover on pan, let it rest an additional 10 minutes while you preheat your oven to 350°F. Bake bread for 25 minutes. Remove pan from the oven, carefully remove lid, and return bread to the oven to bake for an additional 20 minutes. Yield: 1 loaf & keeps for up to 4 days at room temperature.

***Chef’s Notes: Replace up to half of the unbleached flour with whole wheat, rye or any of your favorite flours. I also add up to 1/2 cup of whole grains when making whole grain versions. Mix it up! This bread can take it!